Separator for steam and oil



O. E. ULESON.

SEPARATOR FOR STEAM AND OIL. APPL1CAT|ON FILED A`P11.2,1917.

1,828,889. l Patemed 111112119204 2 SHEETS-SHEET- l.

0 1r? gy MUJ 0. E. OLESON.

SEPARATOR FOR STEAMAAND 0H..

APPLICATION FILEDPR. 2, 19|?.

- 1,328,889, s Patented Jan-27,1920.

2 SHEETS-shin 2. l

' sTATEs PATENT oEEioE.

OLAF E. OLESON, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSI'NOIR TO THE EDWARD VALVEEL MANU- FACTURING CO., OFCI-IICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION 0F ILLINOIS.

SEPARATOR FOR STEAM AND OIL.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, OLAF E. OLEsoN, ,a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Separatore for Steam and Oil, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improved steam separators for separating from steam the water entrained therein, either as a result of being carried from the boiler with the steam or having been formed by partial condensation of the steam after leaving the boiler.

It is well known in the art that for certain purposes, such as, for example, the operation of steam turbines, it is necessary to employ dry steam, and my invention provides a construction which is effective for drying steam for this purpose.

My separator also serves to effectively remove from the steam foreign matter, such as mineral matter that may be held in suspension, sov that steam delivered from the separator is not only dry but is practically pure. Furthermore, by my construction ample passageways are provided throughout the entire separator sothat the steam passes readily therethrough, as a result` of which the separator eXerts practically no bach pressure upon the system.

This is a divisional application of applik cation Serial No. 858,186, filed August 24, 1914, and the present application is limited to the construction of separator design for use in connection with horizontalpipe lines.

The several drawings illustrating kmy invention are as follows:

Figure 1 shows in vertical central sectional view the separator as a whole.

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view of the parts shown in Fig. 1 taken along the line 2 2, and

Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view through the parts shown in Fig. 1 taken` along the line Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

As shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, the arrangement of the separating units and the com struction of these units are similar to that shown and described in my co-pending application above referred to, the difference Specification of Letters Patent.

separator.

Patented Jan. 27, 1920. 858,186. Divided and this application .filed April12,

Serial No. 159,096.

being that in the present construction the casing is made to permit the use of the separator ina horizontal steam pipe line in stead of a vertical pipe line.

As yshown in Fig. 1, the separator consists of a casing 44 within which a plurality .0f separating units is disposed, these units being located one above the other, and these units are arranged in two series, the rst of which, 18 and 18 are alternated with the units 1 9 of the other series. ,Each of the units 18 and 18 has an outer wall, .designated 18"L and 18a", respectively, of a 4.somevwhat less outer diameter than the inner diameter of the vertical cylindrical portion of the casing 44:, and this circular wall (which is preferably of cast iron) has eX tending inwardly and upwardly from it integral troughs 21, supporting, in turn, an integral circular trough 22 concentric with the axis ofthe separator. The upper edges of the inner ends of the troughs 21 support vkalso the integral conical cover or cap portion 23, which is closed at its uppery end and extends downward at its lower lend to form the outer wall of the circular trough l22. The under surface ofthe conical cap or cover 23 is provided with a plurality of corrugated ridges extending substantially in the same direction as the elements of the surface` of the conical cap. `The upper ends of vthe troughs 21 open into the circular trough 22, and the lower ends of the corrugatedridges are disposed over the trough 22, as a result of whichsteam projected npward into the central portion ofthe separating unit is directed through the opening vin the circular trough 22 against the corrugated ridges, and any moisture in the steam .is `caught and heldby said ridges together with the impurities `held in suspension in the moist steam.. Thefsteam, separated to a greater or less degree from its moisture, lpasses down around the circular trough 22 between .the inclined troughs '21, from y.Wlioh point it is free `to pass `upwardthrough the The water and Vimpurities collected upon the corrugatedridges run down these ridges and drip from them into ythe circular trough .'22, from which they are delivered ,by the inclined troughs ,21 through outlet openings 26 formed through the cylindrical wall of the .separating unit.

Each of the units 19 consists of .an .Qllter cylindrical wall 19EL of substantially the same external diameter and thickness as the corresponding wall of the units 18 and 18', and projecting inwardly and upwardly from this cylindrical wall is a conical wall 37 provided with a central circular opening 38, of a diameter somewhat smaller than the external diameter of the conical cap 23. The under surface of the conical wall 37 is provided with a plurality of corrugated ridges substantially parallel with the elements of the conical surface of the wall 37. The cylindrical wall 19L has extending'therethrough just above the lower vedge of the wall 37 a plurality of outlet openings 40 for discharging into the annular space between the casing 44 and the cylindrical walls of theseparating units any water and foreign matter that may be precipitated upon the upper surfaces of the conical walls 37, and any moisture and impurities precipitated upon the under surface of an upper conical wall 37 are directed by the corrugated ridges on their under surfaces downwardly and outwardly to the inner surface of the cyliiidrical walls of the separating units upon which surface they drain down upon the upper surface of the next lower conical wall y v37 and thus through openings 40 into the collecting. chamber provided in the lower part of the separator.

The steam passing upward into engagement with thelowermost conical wall 37 has a path of cross-sectioiial area which is large compared with the area of the steam pipe, and the velocity of the steam is, therefore, much decreased as it strikes the under surface of the conical wall 37, which facilitates theL separation of moisture and impurities from the steam by the corrugated ridges on the under surface of said conical wall. The conformation of this wall directs the steam and any remaining moisture and impurities upward through the central aperture of said conical wall, which aperture directs the steam against the under surface of the conical cap 23 immediately above it, from which the steam and remaining moisture and impurities are discharged, as above described7 around the circular trough 22 and into engagement with the next one of the conical- Awalls 37, which, in turn, again directs the steam and remaining moisture and impurities toward the center of the separator and upward against'the under surface of the next conicalcap 23, from which the steam is ldelivered practically freed from moisture and impurities Ito the outlet opening of the separator. While but four separating units are shown in the drawings, it will be under-- stood that a sufficient number is employed to remove the moisture and impurities from the steam, and that whatever number may be employed they are arranged in two series alternating with each other, as described,

for the two series of units shown in the drawings.

The casing- 44 shown in the drawings is provided with flange couplings 45 and 46 for connecting the separator in the horizontal pipe line, the flange 46 having extending through it into the vertical cylindrical receptacle or casing an inlet opening 47, while the flange 45 has extending through it a similar outlet vopening 48.

As more clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 3, each of the units 18 and 19 has formed thereon av vertical wall 181 and 19b substantially midway between its center and its outer cylindrical surface, and each of these vertical walls has formed on its upper edge a tongue, as shown at 18, 19", in Fig. 1, extending into a corresponding groove formed in the lower edge of the similar vertical wan immediately above it, so that the several vertical walls carried by said units may readily be brought into and maintained in alinement with each other to form a continuous vertical wall between the inlet opening 47 and the vertical axis of the separator. The vertical wall 18e of the uppermost separating unit extends so that its upper edge is substantially in the plane of the top of the casing, 44, and this vertical wall is engaged by parallel flanges 49 and 50 extending downward from the cap 51 employed to close the upper end of the casing in the manner indicated. The several vertical walls referred to constitute a practically continuous wall or partition across the casing 44 with an uninterrupted opening between them and the side of each separating unit nearest to the inlet opening 47, as a result rected downward through said uninterrupted passageway to the bottom of the separator where it enters .the lowermost separating unit 52, which is circular in conformation and provided with a wall forming a continuation of the cylindrical wall of the units 18 and 19. The unit 52 is provided with a perforated bottom 53, which facili-` tates ready passage of moisture and impurities collected in said unit through the bottom thereof into the receptacle provided below said bottom in the lower spherical end in the casing 44, and a threaded connection 54 is provided in the lower end of the casing 44 to drain from the casing any water or oil and impurities that may thus be collected.

The faces of the vertical partitions 18h, 18c and 19b with which the entering steam comes in contact are provided with inclined ridges, as shown in Fig. 2, each ridge having an inclined surface in a plane substantially parallel with the axis of the inlet and outlet openings. andy a lower surface inclined to Ll O ,be carried with said moisture.

igszsgsse tend outward toward the outer edges of the walls, being .constructed so .asto be continuous across the joints between the wallsof adjacent units. These ridges pro-vide a means for engaging a considerable part of the moisture that may be carriedvbytheV steam entering kthe separator and ldraining lit downward and to the outer edges of the walls, together with the impurities that may The upper edge of the lowermost unit 52 isrprovi'ded with two cups `55 for receiving the moisture and impurities thus collected, which drain down from the outer edges ofthe said walls `into said cups and through the outlet openings in the cylindrical wallxof the unit y52 extending into said cups. Thesteam'thus vdirected into the unit 52 passes upward into the separating units 19 and 18 alternately, and finally through the uppermost separat- 'ing unit, from whichy it is dischargedfrom the'separator through the outlet opening a8. The several separating'units have formed on the outer surface of their cylindrical walls projecting lugs, asishown at 18%.1391 in Figs. `1` and 8, corresponding lugs of said units being disposed vertically lover each other vfor engaging the inner surface of the casing 44 to hold the separating units `nsubstantially a central position in the-casing, thus maintaining a circular clearance space between Vthe outer walls of the `separating unitsand the casing for receiving theseparated water and impurities and directing them downward intothe receptacleitherefor in the lower part of the casing 44.

The separating unit 52 extends downward somewhat into 'the hemispherical ylower yend of the casing L14,- as a result ofwhichspacing lugs extending outward from-the outer'surface of the `unit `52 rest upon the inner-surface of the said hemispherical"portion ofthe casing 44 vto-fcarryt'he weight of thesepa-rating units. Inasmuch as the lugsformed on the outer cylindrical surfaces ofithe'fva'rious :separating units aline these lunitsfcentrally in the casing 4A and the tongues and grooves lformed on the vertical partitions of these separating units maintain the units in proper `angular relation to each other, and the `uppermost vertical wall 18e is engaged bythe flanges 49 and 50, it will be observed that-no IeXtra fastening devices of any kind are required for the separating units to hold them in proper position in the separator or to aline them relatively to each other, but that on the other hand the units may be quickly and readilyremoved from the separator by removing the cap 51, since the casing of the separator has a practically continuous circular bore, and that the units may be readily reassembled in the casing in properfposition without the use of tools of any kind; and, furthermore, assuming that they :are 4placed in the separator in proper alternating farrangement, there is ,only one relation in .which theycan'be assembled in the separator, and `that is, such a proper position angularlyfthat the several tongues and grooves engageeach other and that the uppermost .vertical wallis disposed between the flanges on the-cap 51.

As a result of the construction described, it will be understood thatthe moisture sepa- :rated from'the'steam bythe vertical wall is `prevented vfrom coming into contact with the steam passing around the lower edge of saidvertical wall'in the unit 52, which prevents the partially dried steam from again 'becoming moist before it engages the lowermost separating unit 19. It will also be understood'that the annular space provided `between the sepa ating units and the casing laprevents contact between the steampassing through the separator and the moisture and impurities which. may have been ytaken fromthe steam by the separating units and discharged through the several outlet openings into said annular space, and thus, inasmuch as contact betweenV the steamentering 'the separator'with moisture previously separated from the steam is, in a large degree.

prevented, the yoperation of the separator is correspondingly eective.

While I have shown my invention in the particular vembodiment above described, I do not, however,limitmyself to these particular constructions, as fI may 'employ any equivalents thereof known to those skilled in the'art without departing fromv the spirit of my invention.

That I claim is:

1. In a steam separator,v the :combination of a vertical'casing having horizontal inlet and outlet openings, a plurality yof separatingunits disposed in said casing and having outer `walls within and separated from said casing, each of said units having a vertical wall at one side of its center within its outer wall, the vertical walls of the units together separatingthe upper -portionof the `casing finto vtwo parts and directing the steam from vthe inlet opening into the lowermost separating unit.

2. Ina steam separator, the combination of a vertical casing having horizontal inlet and outlet openings, a plurality of separating units disposed in said casing and having outer walls 4within and separa-ted from said casing, each of lsaid units having a vertical 'wall at one side of its center within its outer wall, the vertical walls of the units together separating the upper portion of t-he casing into 'two parts and directing the steam from the inlet opening' into the lowermost separating unit, the lowermost separating unit' having'a 'perforated bottom. above the bottom of the casing to permit the passage of water int'othe bottom part of the casing .below 4said yperforated bottom.

3. In a steam separator, the combination of a vertical casing having horizontal inlet and outlet openings, a plurality of separating units disposed in said casing and having outer walls within and separated from said casing, each of said units having a vertical wall at one side of its center within its outer wall, the vertical walls of the units together separating the upper portion of the casing into two parts and directingl the steam from the inlet opening into'the lowermost separating unit, said vertical wall having ridges upon its surface in contact with the entering steam for engaging the moisture contained in the steam to separate it therefrom.

4. In a steam separator, the combination of a vertical casing having horizontal inlet and outlet openings, a plurality of separating units disposed in said casing and having outer walls within and separated from said casing, each of said units having a vertical wall at one side of its center within its outer wall, the vertical walls of the units together separating the upper portion of the casing into two parts and directing the steam from the inlet opening into the lowermost separating unit, said vertical wall having ridges upon its surface in contact with the entering steam for engaging the moisture contained in the steam to separate it therefrom, said ridges extending downwardly in both directions to the outer edges of said vertical wall to direct the separated water to the outer edges of said wall.

5. In a steam separator, the combination of a vertical casing having horizontal inlet and outlet openings7 a plurality of separating units disposed in said casing and having outer walls within and separated from said casing, each of said units having a vertical wall at one side of its center within its outer wall, the vertical walls of the units together separating the upper portion of the casing into two parts and directing the steam from the inlet opening into the lowermost separating unit, said vertical wall having ridges upon its surface in Contact with the entering steam -for engaging the moisture contained in the steam to separate it therefrom, said ridges extending downwardly in both directions to the outer edges of said vertical wall to direct the separated water to the outer edges of said wall, and cups carried by the upper edge of the lowermost separating unit to receive the water collected by said ridges and direct it to the lower part of said receptacle.

6. In a steam separator, the combination of a vertical casing having horizontal inlet and'outlet openings, a plurality of separating units disposed in said casingand having outer walls within and separated from said casing, each of said units having a vertical wall at one side of its center within its outer wall, the vertical walls of the units together separating the upper portion of the casing into two parts and directing the steam from the inlet opening into the lowermost separating unit, each of said separating units having an inwardly projecting conical separating wall, alternate ones of said separating walls being closed at their lower edges and open at their upper edges, and intermediate ones of said separating walls being open at their lower edges and closed at their upper edges, and devices for directing the moisture collected by said separating walls to the lower part of said receptacle.

7. In a steam separator, the combination of a vertical casing having horizontal inlet and outlet openings, a plurality of separating units disposed in said casing and having outer walls within and separated from said casing, each of said units having a vertical wall at one side of its center within its outer wall, the vertical walls of the units together separating the upper portion of the casing into two parts and directing the steam from the inlet opening into the lowermost separating unit, said vertical wall having ridges upon its surface in contact with the entering steam for engaging the moisture contained in the steam to separate it therefrom, said ridges extending downwardly in both directions to the outer edges of said vertical wall to direct the separated water to the outer edges of said wall, and cups carried by the upper edge of the lowermost separating unit to receive the water collected by said ridges and direct it to the lower part of said receptacle, each of said separating` units having an inwardly projecting' conical separating wall, alternate ones of said separating walls being closed at their lower edges and open at their upper edges, and intermediate ones of said separating walls being open at their lower edges and closed at their upper edges, each of said conical separating walls having ridges on its lower surface for increasing' the surface of contact of said separating wall with the steam passing through the separator.

8. In a steam separator, the combination of a vertical casing having horizontal inlet and outlet openings, a plurality of separating units disposed in said casing and having outer walls within and separated from said casing, each of said units having a vertical wall at one side of its center within its outer wall, the vertical walls of the units together separating the upper portion of the casing into two parts and directing the steam from the inlet opening into the lowermost separating unit, eachof said separating units having an inwardly projecting conical separating wall, alternate ones of said separating `walls being closed at their lower edges and open at their upper edges, and intermediate ones of said separating walls being open at their lower edges and closed at their upperl edges, each of said intermediate conical separating walls having a circular trough disposed below its lower edge, and a trough or troughs extending from said circular trough for directing the separated moisture to the lower part of said receptacle.

9. ln a steam separator, the of a vertical casing having horizontal inlet and outlet openings, a vertical wall in said casing separating said inlet and outlet openings and extending from the top of the casingpart way to the bottom of the casing, said vertical wall having ridges upon its surface to engage steam brought in contact with it through said inlet opening, said ridges extending downwardly in both directions to the outer edges of said vertical wall to direct the separated water to the outer edges of said wall and a cup below the outer ends of each set of ridges for receiving the moisture therefrom and directing it toward the outer wall of the casing.

10. In a steam separator, the combination of a casing, a plurality of separating units disposed adjacent to each other in said casing, devices carried by said units for locating them in fixed angular relation to each other, and devices carried by the casing and one of said units for locating said unit in a fixed angular position relatively to said casing.

l1. In a steam separator, the combination of a vertical cylindrical casing, a plurality of separating units located one above the other in said casing, a cap for inclosing said casing, devices carried by said units for locating them in fixed position angular relatively to each other, and devices carried by the uppermost unit and the cap for locating the uppermost unit in liXed position angularly in the casing.

l2. In a steam separator, the combination of a vertical cylindrical casing, a plurality combination of separating units disposed one above the other in said casing, each of said units having a vertical wall at one side of its center, said vertical walls having tongues and grooves upon their upper and lower edges for locating the units in fixed angular posi tion relatively to each other with their vertical walls in the same plane, and a cap for inclosing the upper end of the casing, said cap having downwardly projecting` flanges for engaging the vertical wall of the uppermost unit to locate the same angularly in the casing.

13. In a steam. separator, the combination of a cylindrical casing, a plurality of separating units located adjacent te each other in said casing, each unit having an outer cylindrical wall of slightly smaller diameter than the inner diameter of the casing, and lugs rigidly secured to and projecting outwardly from each cylindrical wall for engaging the inner surface of the casing to center lthe units in said casing and aline them with each other.

14. In a steam separator', the combination of a cylindrical casing, a plurality of separating units located adjacent to each other in said casing, each unit having an outer cylindrical wall of smaller diameter than the inner diameter of the casing, lugs projecting outwardly from each cylindrical wall for engaging the inner surface of the casing to center the units in said casing and aline them with each other, each unit having a vertical wall disposed at one side of its center, and devices carried by said units for locating the units angularly in said casing in fixed position relatively to each other and to the casing' with the said vertical walls in the same plane.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 26th day of March` A. D. 1917.

OLAF E. OLESON. 

